A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 5618898 Details
Epoch: 261 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 27427733 epoch_slot_no: 38933 block_no: 5618721 slot_leader_id: 5066676 size: 11497 time: 2021-04-21 08:33:44 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x939135b9d9c5baf61a7452d38d40d66731b7e04d6948cbb61af885317ffb4445Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1tn22sa0azvtls9m2jyxxwpw0mjqrprgrrjdrlf43hs45kn2ky9rqv2384z op_cert: \xca90ecb6972cab4434463e01286bdf23a8756d3b20374b5bfa371588db67b46d op_cert_counter: 2